Vehicle traffic signal



Sept. 12, 1939. w s. STQCKTON 2,173,047

VEHICLE TRAFFIC SIGNAL 7 Filed Oct. 19, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gm 7'4 U I Inventor A iiorneys Patented Sept. 12, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,173,047 VEHICLE TRAFFIG SIGNAL Walter S. Stockton, Louisville, Ky. Application October 19, 1937, Serial No. 169,897

2 Claims.

This invention relates to vehicle traific or direction signals and more particularly to such a signal having a pointer for indicating the contemplated movement of the vehicle.

5 An object of the present invention is to improve generally upon the construction, combination and arrangement of parts of such a signal; and the invention together with its objects and advantages will be best Vunderstoodfrom a study 10 of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the rear signal'.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through i5 the rear signal.

Figure 3 is a sectional view illustrating certain details in construction hereinafter more fully referred to.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the front signal.

Figure .5 is a detail view showing a section through a motor shaft with a weight thereon and also with the bar thereon.

Figure 6 is a detail view of a control switch.

M25 Figure 7 isa wiring diagram of the signal ci-r.-.-

cuit.

Referring to the drawings more in detail it will be seen that in accordance with the present invention ther'ei's provided a direction signal .5 adapted to be mounted at any suitable and con.- venient location on the front of the automobile and a signal 6 adapted tobe mounted at any suitable and convenient location .on the rear of the automobile.

In accordance with the present invention signals 5 and 5 have many structural features in common, each of said signals including .a' hollow rsignalling element 1 in the form of an arrow and driven from an electric motor 8.

.2 Electric motor '8 is supported through the medium of a suitable bracket structure -9 within .a housing 'i ll.

The electric motor '8 is of the reversible type .and has a shaft end H to which is suitably secured a weight I2 that acts to normally hold the signal element 1' in a vertical or perpendicu- 1ar position.

p Also on the end II of the 'motor'shaft there is provided a cross arm I3 one end of which is to adapted to engage with the keeper end I4 of a retaining spring I5 suitably mounted on an end wall of the casing I when the signal is pointing v to the right or left, and when the parts are in this position the other end of the cross arm is 5 in engagement with a spring contact I6 that complementalto a contact I! as shown in Figure 2, contacts I6 and I1 being suitably mounted on and insulated from the walls of the casing Idas at l8.

The keeper sprin I5 also functions as an ar- 15 mature complemental to an electro-magnet I9 suitably mounted within the casing Ill and adapted, when excited, to attract the armature I5 therebyrreleasing the motor shaft II topermit shaft I I to be partly rotated by the weight I2 to 10 return the signal to inoperative position.

As shown in Figure 4, the casing Ill of the signal element 5 is suitably mounted on some fixed part F of the automobile at the front thereof and the signal element I of the signal assembly 5 is suitably mounted on an end Ila of the motor shaft.

As shown best in Figure 2 the casing ID of the rear signal assembly 6 is suitably mounted on a fixed part B of the automobile at the rear thereof. and in each signal assembly there is interposed'between' one end of the casing I0 and the part of the automobile on which the casing is mounted a plate 2| of rubber or other suitable material.

As shown in Figure 2 casing I0 of the signal assembly 6 is secured to the part B of the automobile through the medium of rivets 22, which rivets also serve to secure to the part B of the automobile at the side of the part B opposite to the casing II] a bracket 23 to which is fastened the license plate 24 of the automobile. Mounted on the upper end of the bracket'23 and in substantial alinement with the casing III of the signal assembly 6 is a rear lamp casing 25. l The casing 25 is of somewhat frustoeconical form and is opened at its largestend.

The casing 25 is secured to the bracket 23 by disposing the largest end of the casing against the upper portion of the bracket 23 which latter at said upper end is provided with a continuous flange 26 which receives within the confines thereof the said end of the casing 25 as shown .in Figure 2. Casing 25 is secured to the bracket 23 through the medium of bolts 21.

p Also interposed between the upper portion of the bracket 23 of the 'part B of the automobile is a spacer 28 of rubber or" other suitable material.

Suitably mounted within the casing 25 is a tail-li'ghtbulb 29 that is disposed directly behind a window 30 through which the light from the bulb will shine to illuminate the license plate 24.

flhe shaft ofthe motor 8 forming part of the 5 signal assembly 6 has an end II b extending into the lamp casing 25 and on said shaft end H?) is secured a hollow tubular shaft 3| that extends through the end of the casing 25 farthest remote from the bracket 23 and has mounted on the extended end thereof the indicating element 1 of the aforementioned signal assembly 6.

Also in the signal elements 1 of the devices 5 and 6 there are mounted the stop-light bulbs 33 that are connected in circuit with the stoplight switch 34' that is suitably connected with the brake pedal (not shown) of the automobile so that upon application of the brakes by the depressing of the brake pedal the circuit will be closed through the stop-light bulbs 33 thereby illuminating the signal elements 1, and with the signal elements 1 thus illuminated the signals will indicate Stop.

Each signal 1 is composed of a metal back member 1' with a transparent front member 1" suitably connected at its edges to the edges of the metalmember, and a cross bar 1a is carried by the metal member and receives the inner end of a bolt 1b which passes thru the center of the glass member.

The control switch 34 comprises a dielectric casing mounted in the driving compartment of the automobile and having a series of concentric contact strips and a dielectric switch arm pivoted at the center thereof and provided with contact buttons for bridging concentrically spaced ones of said contact strips.

Referring to Figure '1 of the drawings comprising a wiring diagram of the circuits controlled by the switch 34 this shows the switch arm in position to effect operation of the switch for e1- fecting a left turn indicating position of the two signals 1, each of which comprises a respective motor 8 involving a pair of field coils 36, 31 and a pair of commutator brushes 38, 39, respectively.

The switch arm 35 is dielectric and has distributed therealong from top to bottom the respective bridging contacts 40, 4| and 42, 43 above and below its pivot. The contact 4|] is arranged for bridging the paired contact strips 44 and 45, 45 and 43, 41 and 48, 48 and 49, 50 and 5|, 5| and 52, according to the position of the switch arm. The switch arm contact 4| is, similarly, arranged to bridge the paired contact strips 53 and 54 when in appropriate position. The switch arm contacts 42 and 43 are arranged to bridge the paired contact strips diametrically opposite those bridged by the switch arm contacts and 4|.

With the switch arm 35 in the position illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 7 wherein the signals 1 indicate a left turn, the switch arm contact 42 is bridging the contact strips 53 and 54, the contact 43 is bridging the contact strips 44 and 45, and the contact 40 is bridging the contact strips 50 and 5|. The arrangement connects the ungrounded side of the car battery 55, through the contact strips 53 and 54 to the line 56 leading to the signal illuminating bulbs 20, supposing the night switch 51 to be closed. In this same position of the switch arm the bridging of the contact strips 44 and 45 by the contact 43 connects the ungrounded side of the field coils 31 of the motors 8 with the commutator brushes 38 of the motors, so that the current flows through the commutator, via the brushes 39 to the contact strip 5|. The contact strips 5| and being bridged in the stated position of the switch arm, the current passes from the contact strip 5|, through the contact strip 50 to one end of the from, a pointer field coils 36 of the motors 8 and return via the wire 58 to the ungrounded side of the battery thereby causing the armatures of the motors 8 to rotate in a left hand direction and turn the signals 1 from a vertical to a horizontal leftpointing position. As the left-pointing position is reached the normally closed grounding arrangements l6 are opened by the cam device I3 on the shaft of the motors, the motors 8 thereby becoming disconnected from the battery 55 so that the signals 1 are halted in the left-pointing position. The magnets l9 operate when energized to lift the latches |5 (see Figures 2 and 3) which hold the cam arrangements l3 in an unoperated position of the signals 1 to free the motor shafts for turning. Energization of the magnets I9 is achieved by moving the switch arm 35 out of the vertical position shown in Figure '1 toward the left or toward the right sufficiently to cause the contact 40 to bridge either the coni tact strips 48 and 49 or 48 and 41, the former being the contact strips bridged by the switch arm contact 40 in manipulating the switch arm toward the left-turn position illustrated in Figure '7.

It is apparent that in the right-turn position the switch arm 35 has its contact 40 in bridging relation to the contact strips 45 and 46, its contact 4| in bridging relation to the contact strips 53 and 54, and its contact 42 in bridging relation to the contact strips 5| and 52. The bridging of the contact strips 5| and 52, 45 and 46 instead of the contact strips 45 and 44 and 5| and 50 sends the current through the opposite commutator brushes 38 with the result that the motor armatures are reversed and hence the signals 1 are rotated in the opposite direction from that described above or into the right-pointing position.

With the night switch 51 open, as in daylight, the signal illuminating bulbs 20 and tail-light bulbs 29 will remain energized in any operation of the system and with the night switch 51 closed willbe energized only while the switch arm 35 is stopped in or is moving in either a right turn or left turning signal operating position. The stop signal bulbs 33 operate every time the stop light switch 34 is closed.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. A directional signal for motor vehicles comprising a casing, a shaft rotatably supported in the casing and having one end projecting thereconnected with the projecting end of the shaft, means attached to the shaft for yieldingly holding the same with the pointer in inoperative position, a reversible electric motor for rotating the shaft, a cross bar on the shaft .within the casing, a latch member for engaging one end of said cross bar when the motor has moved the shaft a quarter turn, said latch member acting to hold the parts in this quarter turned position, a motor circuit, a switch in said circuit for closing the same, a switch for breaking the circuit of the motor, moved to circuit breaking position by the other end of the cross bar when the first end is engaging with the latch member, and magnetic means for releasing the latch member from the cross bar to permit the first mentioned means to move the parts to inoperative position.

2. A- direction signal for motor vehicles comprising a casing, a shaft rotatably arranged therein and having one end projecting therefrom, a pointer connected with the projecting end of. the

shaft, a reversible motor for rotating the shaft, means connected with the shaft for yieldingly holding the parts normally in inoperative position, a cross bar connected with the shaft, a latch member engaging one end of the cross bar when the motor has turned the shaft a quarter turn, a normally closed switch in the motor circuit and opened by the opposite end of the cross bar when the first end is engaging the latch member, magnetic means for moving the latch member out of engagement with the cross bar, and switch means for first closing the circuit to the motor 5 and then actuating the magnetic means.

WALTER S. STOCKTON. 

